Northern Michigan wedding DJ and live ceremony music

Weddings we've played in Northern Michigan

A tent wedding at Hotel Perry, Petoskey, June 2016

On June 25, 2016, Dave played a wedding at Hotel Perry in downtown Petoskey with The Groove Party, a Michigan wedding band. The photo at the top of this page is from that day: a white tent set up beside the fountain. Hotel Perry is a historic hotel in downtown Petoskey, which sits on Little Traverse Bay. The couple isn't named in Dave's post from that day, so we don't name them here.

Kara and Matt at Bay Harbor Yacht Club, August 2016

Two months later, on August 27, 2016, Dave was back on Little Traverse Bay with The Groove Party for Kara and Matt's wedding at Bay Harbor Yacht Club. Their first dance was under paper lanterns.

A ceremony overlooking Lake Michigan, 2016

Also in 2016, Dave played a wedding ceremony overlooking Lake Michigan. It's the setting a lot of couples picture when they think of an up-north wedding, and live acoustic music suits it: nothing between your guests and the view but a guitar and a voice.

Northern Michigan wedding venues Dave has played

• Hotel Perry, Petoskey: a historic downtown hotel. The 2016 wedding Dave played there had a white tent beside the fountain.
• Bay Harbor Yacht Club, Bay Harbor: a yacht club on Little Traverse Bay, between Petoskey and Charlevoix.

If you're getting married in Traverse City, Leelanau, Charlevoix, Harbor Springs or anywhere else up north, tell us the venue when you check your date. We won't claim to know a venue we haven't played. The full list is on our venues page.

What's different about a Northern Michigan wedding?

Tents

A lot of summer receptions up north happen under a tent, on a lawn, at a vineyard or beside the water. Tents change the planning. Power has to come from somewhere, rain is loud on canvas, and sides go up or down with the weather. Ask your tent company and venue about power early, and send us the layout once you have it, so the dance floor, the speeches and the music all fit the space you've got.

Late summer sunsets

Around midsummer the sun sets after 9 pm up north. That's a gift for photos. It also means dinner and the first dances often happen in daylight, and the dance floor fills once it's dark. If your photographer wants you for twenty minutes at golden hour, we'll plan for it: a slower set while you're gone, then something to bring everyone back to the floor when you return.

Lake weather

Weather off Lake Michigan changes quickly, and a calm morning can turn into a breezy afternoon. Wind is the thing to plan for at a beach or bluff ceremony. Your guests need to hear your vows, and a guitar needs a bit of shelter. Have a backup spot, and tell us about it, so the ceremony music is planned for both.

Summer traffic and lodging

Summer is high season in Northern Michigan. Weekends around the Fourth of July and the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City are especially busy, roads like US-31 are slow on Friday afternoons, and rooms near the water book up early. Get your hotel blocks sorted early and give guests the drive times, not just the miles.

Music late at night

Outdoor receptions near homes, marinas and resorts often have a time when amplified music has to stop or move inside. Your venue will know the rule. Tell us what it is, and we'll plan the last dance and the send-off to land right on time.

How do you plan an up-north wedding from downstate?

If you live in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids or further away and you're marrying up north, most of our planning will happen by phone, video call and email. That works well for music. We pick your ceremony songs, build the plan for the reception, write down the names for your introductions and go through your venue's details long before anyone drives north.

Send us your planner's or venue's timeline as soon as there's a draft, even a rough one, and we'll fit the music to it. When guests have come a long way for a weekend, a clear plan for the night matters more, not less. By the time you arrive, the music is one thing you don't have to think about.

What can you book for a Northern Michigan wedding?

The wedding DJ and MC is the core booking. Ceremony music, a cocktail-hour set and DJ plus live music are add-ons to it. A live band package can have a DJ too, playing between sets and closing out the night, so you don't have to choose one or the other.

Wedding DJ and MC

Dinner in daylight, dancing after dark. We plan the songs with you, keep your do-not-play list close, and pace the night around your sunset. On the microphone, introductions, toasts, cake, the golden-hour photo break and the last dance are announced clearly and timed with your venue. See wedding MC and what a wedding MC does.

Live ceremony music

Acoustic guitar and vocals, or piano, for your prelude, processional, signing and recessional. Outdoors, on a bluff or a lawn by the bay, acoustic music suits the setting. We choose the songs together, and we time your processional so the part you love lands as you start walking. See live ceremony music and our acoustic ceremony songs guide.

Cocktail hour in the long light

Up north, cocktail hour often happens in full sun with the water behind it. A live acoustic set keeps guests together while you're off taking photos. See cocktail hour music and our cocktail hour music guide.

DJ plus live music

Live drums, guitar, sax or violin, in any combination, over the songs your guests know, added to your DJ booking. It brings the feel of a band to a tent reception, with as many or as few live players as your floor has room for. See DJ plus live music.

Live wedding band

If you'd rather have a full band, see the live wedding band page: a band package can have a DJ playing between sets and closing out the night. Or compare the combinations in our DJ, live band or both guide.

Towns up north we play

Petoskey, Bay Harbor, Harbor Springs, Bay View, Charlevoix, Boyne City, Walloon Lake, East Jordan, Traverse City, Old Mission Peninsula, the Leelanau Peninsula, Suttons Bay, Leland, Glen Arbor, Elk Rapids, Frankfort, Gaylord, Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island. If it's north of the 45th parallel, or close to it, ask. See also Ann Arbor, Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids, or browse the portfolio and the FAQ.